Portion Distortion

With more than 60% of the U.S. population considered overweight or obese, recent studies target portion size as the culprit tipping the scales on America's weight problem. According to a New York University (NYU) study published in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association (Feb. 2003), the serving sizes in many packaged foods and popular restaurants have steadily increased over the past 20 years, especially when compared with their introductory sizes. The researchers also compared current portion sizes to federal standards and found that most marketplace portions exceeded standard portion sizes by as much as eight times.

Take a Hershey's chocolate bar as one example. According to the study, in 1908, Hershey Foods Corporation, Hershey, PA, debuted its signature candy bar in a 0.6-oz. package. In 2003, Hershey's chocolate bars were available in 1.6-oz. to 8-oz. package sizes. In another example, Oakbrook, IL-based McDonald's Corporation first introduced its fries in 1955 at a standard portion size of 2.4 oz. As of 2003, a medium portion totaled 5.3 oz., over double the original standard size, and the super-sized portion weighed in at 7.1 oz.

Beverages also were not exempt. In 1954, a regular-size soda from Miami-based Burger King Corporation was 12 oz., which is now considered a kid-sized portion. According to the study, Burger King's medium-sized soda progressed to 22 oz., with a super-sized "king" portion hitting the 42-oz. mark.

While consumers may perceive more as better, increased portion sizes pack a caloric punch. For example, a small serving of McDonald's French fries today weighs in at 2.6 oz., and contains 220 calories, 11 grams of fat, 150 mg of sodium and 28 grams of carbohydrates. In comparison, today's 7.1-oz. super-size serving contains 610 calories, 29 grams of fat, 390 mg of sodium and 77 grams of carbohydrates.

When portion sizes expand in eating establishments, consumers tend to eat the amount that they are served. In a study published in Obesity Research (March 2004), researchers examined portion size in restaurant meals. In the study, 180 adult customers were served an average-size portion of a baked-pasta dish along with one that was 50% larger. The entrées were served in the same size dish on different days so that they appeared the same size. The customers who ate the larger portions increased their caloric intake of the entrée by 43% and of the entire meal by 25%. Yet when they completed a survey rating the meal, there was no difference between the two groups when they rated the appropriateness of the portion size.  

Additionally, the portion size of food served in individual units promotes an increased calorie intake at a single meal without affecting feelings of hunger or fullness, according to a study published in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association (March 2004). In one study, 75 participants were served one of four sizes of a deli-style sandwich (6-, 8-, 10- and 12-in.) for lunch once a week for four weeks, of which they could eat as much as they wanted. The portion sizes significantly impacted the caloric intake consumed at the meal. Nearly all of the participants consumed the entire 6-in. sandwich. When served the 12-in. sandwich, females consumed 12% more energy and males consumed 23% more energy, compared with the 8-in. sandwich. However, they reported little difference in hunger before and satiety after eating the 12-in. and 8-in. sandwiches.

It's easy to place the blame on restaurants for serving up giant portions, but a recent study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (Jan. 2003) found that portion sizes have increased both inside and outside the home from 1977 to 1996. "Larger portions induce people to eat more, even when they are not hungry. This is true for restaurant meals, packages and takeout food," says Marion Nestle, Ph.D, M.P.H, Paulette Goddard Professor of Nutrition, Food Studies and Public Health at NYU, and author of "Food Politics" (University of California Press 2003).  

As food package sizes become increasingly larger, consumers may not take the time to read the label for the standard portion size. And even if they do, the Chicago-based American Dietetic Association reports that individually packaged items may contain 2.5 or more standard-label servings per package.

FDA's guideline that a food weighing less than twice the standard serving amount may be labeled as one serving per container has added to consumer's confusion over portion sizes. With America's penchant for "bigger-is-better" food fostered by volume discounts and club stores' institution-sized packaging, many people don't stop to count the number of tortilla chips that equals a serving size or to consider that their morning bagel may add up to six bread servings.  

Why has our nation become super-size obsessed? "Because ingredients were so cheap, companies could increase the amount of food without an equivalent increase in cost," says Nestle. "And customers love big portions because they seem generous and like a bargain." The United States spends less per capita on food than any other nation. And much of today's nutrition education and nutrition labeling focuses on the types of foods people should eat rather than the quantity.

Some restaurants and food manufacturers are responding to the portion-size crisis. McDonald's is working to simplify its core menu and offer a balanced lifestyle strategy by phasing out the super-size fry and drink options by the end of 2004. And both PepsiCo, Purchase, NY, and Coca-Cola Company, Atlanta, now produce 8-oz. cans of soda.

Kraft Foods Corporation, Northfield, IL, plans to implement a two-fold approach to smaller packages. First, the company is offering a wide range of portion-size choices; including snacks in small packages, like its Nabisco 100 Calorie Packs. These products began appearing in stores this past July. Second, the company will provide nutrition content for the entire package on the nutrition labeling of snack and beverage packages, so that consumers don't have to do the math. This strategy, developed by Kraft, hopes to support FDA's recent call for the food industry to enhance package labeling to help consumers make informed choices.

Perhaps manufacturers and foodservice establishments can help fight the obesity crisis by also following this simple suggestion from Dr. Nestle: "Make smaller portions."

Sharon Palmer is a registered dietitian with a 16-year career in healthcare-food and nutrition management. She now focuses her interest in the world of journalism as a freelance writer and editor, cookbook contributor and culinary instructor.

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